Become an Ambassador of Boonville

Wednesday

Jan 8, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 8, 2014 at 2:18 PM

Become an Ambassador of Boonville

Edward Lang, Managing Editor

'We live in paradise and we don't even know it,' are words from a neighbor of mine on Morgan Street. What did this neighbor of mine mean? Of course, she does not mean the literal paradise; a time when sin is abolished and the world as we know is changed for eternity. Maybe she was talking about the good things about where we live; the history, the sense of community and the education.When I was growing up just west of town, I did not think of Boonville as a paradise. I thought of Boonville as home, a home with history, a river and a railroad. Everyone who lives here knows this. In 2004, I left Boonville for College in Chicagoland. What a culture shock! What a difference! I was ready for the change to a faster pace of living. During that time away, I began to miss the wonderful scenery of the winter, spring, summer and fall. I would take the eight hour drive back home every quarter to work on a school media project, partly because I had missed the photo and video opportunities I took for granted when I was living at home. The first lesson I learned away from home was to appreciate the scenery in our area. The scenery alone was a hit among my peers and teachers when showing my projects in class because it was different than what everyone was used to.After college graduation, my appreciation for Boonville did not spark to its fullest quite yet. I had it in my mind I was going to find a job in Chicago. Instead, I stayed in Boonville and got involved. This is one of the best ways individuals can make a difference and understand their (our) community more. Involvement in the community, was when I discovered the 'true' richness of history that blankets our area. The Boonville area did not just play a hand in regional history, but also paved early American history and was a foundation for future individuals who would make a difference in the world. The more I discovered, the more I learned that my home town was not an ordinary town but a place shrouded in tremendous potential, a box with so many secrets, ready to be shared with the rest of the world.Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to understand what we possess. I have traveled to places around the planet and I have to agree that we do live in an area, which is possibly as close to paradise as it gets. We do have our issues; but with a world stained by sin, nothing but God is perfect.Recently, people have been coming from all over the country to visit Boonville. Sometimes, we need to understand that we have something very special. Boonville is not just a place enjoyed by us, but by strangers, too. The more we grow, the more we can share those special novices, which makes us who we are. The ultimate compliment to Boonville has been to see more recent Boonville High School graduates come back to raise their families because they want their children to have the same experience they had growing up. When my sister, Margaret, was driving back from Chicago not long ago she said there seems to be a hand shielding Boonville from 'much, not all' of the chaos, which surrounds the world of today.As we grow up we do not appreciate the place which has constructed our foundation as much as we should. We leave our home because we think there is something better. We then understand; there is no place like home. Once we know what we have, it is time to share it with the world in becoming an Ambassador of Boonville.

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